


Birthday Blues

by dreyars



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Birthday, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 13:09:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5541227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreyars/pseuds/dreyars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The only thing worse than a Christmas birthday was a day after Christmas birthday.  It's hard for Ennoshita not to feel a little bit lonely on his special day when his friends are still busy with family, and his boyfriend is cities away. </p>
<p>But, he still has a few more gifts that will make up for a lonesome morning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Birthday Blues

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday Ennoshita Chikara!

His bedroom was already dark, lit only by the laptop sitting open on his bed when Ennoshita received his first well wish of the day.  It wasn’t surprising that so many people were still awake, even after the excitement of Christmas day.  Ennoshita had already received his birthday gifts from his parents, though he could hardly tell the difference between birthday and Christmas anymore.  His family had begun celebrating the occasions on the same day years ago, mushing all the festivities of his birthday together with Christmas.  Ennoshita swore he didn’t mind, because his friends still remembered the date.  Besides, they would all be getting together at the end of the month to celebrate his day along with Daichi’s and Asahi’s.  It would be fun, and feel just as special as if they had celebrated on the 26th.

But still, even if he was being sent love from friends who could not physically be with him on his birthday, the day always felt a little bit lonely.  Ennoshita had long gotten used to the fact that his birthday would get muddled by the Christmas holidays, and he probably wouldn’t be able to see his friends until days after the fact due to their own family obligations.  He had accepted it, and he accepted that he probably wouldn’t even be able to celebrate with his parents today as they were both being forced to rush back into work the next day.  

Even if it was their only son’s birthday.

Ennoshita didn’t blame them. Hell, he even said with a smile that it would be just fine as long as his mom brought him something sweet from the bakery near her office.  But even that didn’t mask the sense of loneliness he was already feeling.  He’d probably end up spending most of the day in bed, enjoying the new games and movies his parents had given him.  Which would have been perfectly fine on any other day.

Ennoshita pushed his laptop closed, suddenly bored with the show he had been watching.  New messages continued to pop up on his phone, from classmates to teammates, all wishing him a happy birthday before they went to bed.

Rolling onto his back, Ennoshita scrolled through the short list of names of people who had obviously been trying to be the first to message him.  He had barely finished typing out a response to Nishinoya ( _‘Hinata beat you by 30 seconds’_ ) before his phone lit up in a different way, indicating that he had a phone call.

“Hey.” Ennoshita grinned as he waited for the person on the opposite end of the line to answer him.  He was still so quiet, shy almost, even after dating for just over two months.

“Happy birthday, Chikara.”  Fukunaga’s voice was quiet and raspy, barely over a whisper.  Ennoshita couldn’t tell if it was because he was tired, or if he was trying his hardest not to wake his parents.

“Thanks, Shouhei.  I’m really happy you called. Did you have a good Christmas?” Ennoshita rolled onto his side, pulling the blanket Fukunaga had given him for the holiday up to his chest.  He waited for Fukunaga’s hum of affirmation before continuing.  “I’m glad.  I spent all day with my mom and dad, so it was nice.  I’m glad you called before I shut my phone off.  It’s been ringing like crazy since midnight.”

Fukunaga laughed and Ennoshita smiled, still blown away by just how cute his boyfriend could be.  They had been dating, privately more than publicly, after talking for months via text. After exchanging phone numbers at the first practice match between Nekoma and Karasno, Ennoshita had always been intrigued by the quirky guy.  And now, he was all Ennoshita’s and they wouldn’t have it any other way.  There was only one thing that could make this arrangement better than it already was.

“What did your mom say about you coming to visit me tomorrow?”

Fukunaga paused, and Ennoshita’s heart sank.  He figured he already knew the answer since Fukunaga hadn’t already told him he could come, but he had still been holding out hope, just in case something changed.

“Well, that’s okay. Could I come to you instead? My parents said it would be alright, and I really want to be able to see you tomorrow.”

“Uh, uh.” Fukunaga’s voice was sharper than Ennoshita was used to, but he understood well enough.  Fukunaga’s parents, especially his mother, could really be strict with him on occasion.  Ennoshita understood if they didn’t want him journeying all the way to Miyagi the day after Christmas.

“Oh, well that’s alright too.  Can we at least video call tomorrow night?”

Fukunaga hummed, and Ennoshita imagined him nodding his head in the big, full neck wave that Fukunaga so often did.  It was his way of saying ‘Of course’, and the prospect of seeing it tomorrow greatly improved Ennoshita’s souring mood.

“Thank you, Shouhei.” Ennoshita pulled his knees up to his stomach, making sure Fukunaga’s blanket was covering his entire body as he let his eyes slip closed.  “We should probably head to bed now.  It’s been a long day for me at least.”

“Wait.”

Ennoshita paused, waiting for Fukunaga to continue his thought.  When he realized Fukunaga was waiting for him to answer, Ennoshita whispered, “I’m still here.”

“Oh, well.  You should get your present tomorrow.”

Ennoshita sighed and smiled to himself.  “Shouhei, you didn’t have to get me something else.”

“Birthday. Not Christmas.”

“I know but… thank you either way. I’m sure I’ll love it.”

Ennoshita could practically hear the grin in Fukunaga’s next words, as if he was proud of whatever it was that was going to be arriving at Ennoshita’s front door the next day.  “Night, night, Chikara.”

“Goodnight, Shouhei.  I can’t wait to talk to you later today.”

Fukunaga gave a sleepy sigh, and Ennoshita pictured him waving goodbye with two hands as he always did when they were physically together. Ennoshita couldn’t tell if Fukunaga had hung up as quiet as he was, so he waited a few more moments, his cheek still warm from his phone.  When he pulled the phone away from his face, he saw that the call was still connected.  Whispering one last message of ‘goodnight, and sleep well’, Ennoshita reluctantly ended the call. 

Ennoshita grabbed his laptop and slipped it under his bed so that he wouldn’t trip on it in the morning before tucking his head under the covers.  He wanted to be able to sleep at least a little bit that night, even if he was going to be spending most of the next day in bed.  His eyes just weren’t heavy enough to close, so Ennoshita chose to grab his phone off the nightstand and check the latest message that came in while he was preparing for sleep.

_Fukunaga Shouhei : sorry, but one more before sleep._

_Fukunaga Shouhei : if you get heartburn when eating your birthday cake later, next time, don’t eat the candles._

\--------

It was after noon before Ennoshita decided to get out of bed.  He had already been awake for a couple hours, but around one o’clock, he could no longer ignore the pains in his back from laying in the same spot for so long.  The grumbling in his stomach was also preventing him from getting any more sleep, so he figured might as well get up and see what his mom had left him for breakfast that morning.

After cleaning his face to wash off the stale feeling of sleep, Ennoshita settled down on the couch with a plate of reheated French toast on his chest and his phone in one hand.  He guessed the politest thing to do on his day in was at least answer the people who had sent him messages since he went to sleep.  Despite the barrage of messages telling him happy birthday and ribbing him for being another year older, it really didn’t feel like today was anything special.

Sure, he was 17 now, but that was the only thing that would change.  He still felt like the same person he was yesterday.  There was no benefit to being 17 over 16 other than getting to say it out loud, but even then, he’d probably still forget to say 17 when someone asked how old he was until well into January.

Really, today was just another day in December, Ennoshita thought.  And he was fine with it by principal.  He didn’t need a big party or lots of gifts or anything of the sort, but it would’ve been nice to at least spend the day with somebody other than himself.

Ennoshita let out a tired sigh and set his half empty plate on the coffee table beside him.  He’d already waited too long to eat, and the sickly sweetness of the breakfast his mom left wasn’t sitting well in his stomach as he opened up another message of a friend who cared enough to remember him today.

Rolling onto his stomach, Ennoshita smushed his face against the couch cushions and let out a long sigh as he contemplated what he should do until his parents got home. He already knew both Kinoshita and Narita were due to be out of town with family for the rest of the weekend, and he really wasn’t feeling up to finding out whether or not Nishinoya and Tanaka’s plans had changed on the off chance they might be free.  He knew he might feel better if he got up and took a shower, but for now, getting his nose squished by a leather couch was just fine.

Not ten minutes after Ennoshita flipped onto his stomach, his phone buzzed to let him know he had a new message.  It was still in his hand, the one hanging off the side of the couch, but he still considered ignoring the message because it would be too much effort to turn his head and look. But after a second message came in nearly a minute after the first, Ennoshita decided to check to make sure it wasn’t anything important.

Upon seeing the name on his screen, a soft smile spread across Ennoshita’s face.  His heart always felt warm and his hands a little shaky whenever his boyfriend texted him even after dating for a few months.  Seeing Fukunaga’s name flash across his screen now greatly improved his mood, even if this was the only contact Ennoshita would have with him today.

_Fukunaga Shouhei : happy happy birthday~_

_Fukunaga Shouhei : you home_

Ennoshita shifted onto his side so he could reply.  Fukunaga probably wanted to do their video chat already, and he was more than happy to oblige.  Just the thought of getting to see his cute boyfriend on his birthday (even if it was only through video) was enough to get Ennoshita to sit up and brush a hand through his hair to pat the stray ends down.  He quickly sent an answer of _‘yes, I’ll be here all day’_ and waited for Fukunaga to respond.

Normally a quick texter, Ennoshita figured Fukunaga’s mother must have called him off to do something when he hadn’t received a response within 20 minutes. He dropped his phone back on the floor and reached towards the TV remote, hoping to find something to occupy his time. Ennoshita felt a curse forming when the remote died as soon as he tried to change the channel away from the Christmas music channel his parents had been listening to before bed.  Ennoshita dropped the remote beside his phone, staring blankly at the TV as he weighed the benefits of getting up and turning the channel manually as compared to staying on the couch for the rest of the afternoon.

5 minutes and three songs later, Ennoshita was laying back down in his spot, a cheerful jingle from the States still playing on the TV.

\----------

When Ennoshita woke up 30 minutes later, his back ached and his head hurt. For some reason, he had a triangle of French toast sliding off his chin and he was pretty sure the TV shouldn’t be flipping rapidly through channels like that.

After a dazed look around the room, Ennoshita heard what woke him from his restless sleep.  Loud, banging knocks resonated from the front door and Ennoshita quickly scrambled off of the floor, rubbing his head where it must have clipped the coffee table when he fell.  Luckily, his breakfast plate wasn’t broken, and the TV stopped flickering through channels as soon as he lifted his butt off of the remote control.  His phone started ringing halfway to the door, and Ennoshita turned around to get it before turning back to answer the much more pressing person who was at his front door.

“Shouhei.”

Fukunaga was standing there, wrapped up in the matching green scarf and beanie Ennoshita had given him for Christmas. His phone was pressed to his ear when Ennoshita opened the door, but Fukunaga immediately opened his arms wide, requesting a hug once he saw his boyfriend.

Ennoshita immediately stepped outside, not minding the freezing cement on his bare feet as he pulled Fukunaga to his chest in a bone crushing hug. Fukunaga laughed and patted his back, hugging Ennoshita back tightly.

Ennoshita pulled back far enough that he could kiss Fukunaga’s cheek, relishing his warm laugh even as his ears froze.  “Shouhei, what are you doing here?”

“Surprise!”  Fukunaga’s statement was simple and short, and it was all Ennoshita needed to know before he pulled them both inside and out of the cold. As soon as the front door shut, Ennoshita was back to squeezing his boyfriend, quickly pressing their mouths together.

When they broke apart, Ennoshita ran his hand down the side of Fukunaga’s face, mesmerized by the chilled pink tint of his cheeks.  “I missed you.”

Fukunaga mimicked Ennoshita’s movement, running his cold fingertips down the side of Ennoshita’s face, before tapping his chin once with his index finger.  “Sticky.”

Ennoshita raised an eyebrow as Fukunaga covered his mouth and laughed.   Ennoshita pressed the tip of his finger against his own chin, suddenly remembering the French toast and syrup he had yet to clean up.

Ennoshita sighed and ran his hand through his hair, immediately regretting it when he felt his fingers stick to the strands.  “Sorry I’m such a mess. I thought I was going to be alone all day.”

Fukunaga gave a soft smile as he unwrapped the scarf from his neck. Pressing up on his toes, he leaned forward to give Ennoshita a comforting kiss on the cheek before shucking the rest of his outerwear.  When he finished toeing out of his shoes, Fukunaga cocked his head to the side, before asking, “need help?”

Ennoshita nodded as he threw an arm over Fukunaga’s shoulders, pulling him further into the house as he kissed the side of his face. Fukunaga pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, trying not to smile as Ennoshita’s sticky lips assaulted his cheek.  Ennoshita was beyond grateful to have such a perfect boyfriend, one that even put up with him when he was a complete wreck.

Fukunaga tried to get Ennoshita to go clean himself up while he cleaned up the mess left over from breakfast, mumbling that Ennoshita shouldn’t have to clean on his birthday.  But even as Fukunaga’s small hands tried to push him out of the kitchen, Ennoshita refused to budge.  All they had to do was put the dishes in the dishwasher and throw away the leftovers that had been sitting on the counter since the early morning, and Ennoshita wouldn’t let his time with Fukunaga go to waste.  Not after he had already wasted over half of his birthday by being pessimistic.

When they were finished, Ennoshita went to wash his face of the sticky syrup while Fukunaga waited for him in his bedroom. When Ennoshita returned, Fukunaga was lying on his bed with Ennoshita’s cat on his chest, whistling as he rubbed the top of the cat’s nose.  Fukunaga smiled when he saw Ennoshita return to him, hair finally brushed and face significantly cleaner.  Ennoshita leaned over him with one knee on the bed to press a kiss in the center of his forehead.

“Is it alright if I changed my shirt in here?”  Ennoshita hovered over Fukunaga, watching the expressions shift on his face as he formulated an answer inside of his mysterious little head.  Ennoshita caught a barely discernable nod of Fukunaga’s head, and kissed him once more before turning towards his dresser.

It was starting to get colder in the house, so Ennoshita decided to wear the cheesy, long sleeve Nekoma t-shirt Fukunaga let him borrow.  It was a little tight around his shoulders, but he knew the boy currently covering his eyes to give him some privacy would appreciate it.

When Ennoshita turned back around, Fukunaga was laying on his side, cat nowhere to be seen. Fukunaga’s hands still covered his eyes, but through the slightest little crack between his middle and rings fingers, Ennoshita could see him watching.

With no way to sneak up on him, Ennoshita decided to go with the more direct route of jumping on top of Fukunaga and pinning him to the bed.  Before Fukunaga arrived, Ennoshita was dragging, barely able to get out of bed or make an effort to do anything worthwhile. But now, with Fukunaga here, in his home and in his arms, Ennoshita felt excited, alive, and ready to do whatever it was Fukunaga wanted for the rest of the afternoon.

But really, even if Fukunaga only wanted to lay beside him and brush his fingers through Ennoshita’s hair, that would be beyond perfect.

“Taking a peek, weren’t you, Shouhei?”  Ennoshita leaned down, his lips brushing Fukunaga’s cheek.  He picked his head up to see Fukunaga’s response, grinning wickedly when he saw the deep red tint to his boyfriend’s cheeks.  “It’s okay if you want to look, Shouhei. Don’t be embarrassed.”

Fukunaga covered his face with his hands and groaned as Ennoshita rolled off of him with a chuckle.  Ennoshita pulled Fukunaga close to his chest, breathing in the crisp scent of his shampoo as he kissed the top of his head.  After a few moments, Ennoshita felt Fukunaga’s hands move from his face, to squeeze underneath Ennoshita’s arms in a hug.  Fukunaga nuzzled his face against Ennoshita’s chest with a sigh as he pulled himself closer.

“I’m so happy that you got to come.”  And he really was.  Ennoshita knew he would have been just fine if Fukunaga didn’t come to see him today.  He would have spent the rest of the day at home, napping on the couch as he waited for his parents to come back.  He’d play basketball outside with his dad while they waited for dinner to be ready, then celebrate with his favorite food and a small cake his mom made. Afterwards, his parents would head off to bed, and he would head off to video chat with Fukunaga.

But having him in his arms was a million times better than staring at his cold screen.

Fukunaga was an interesting part of Ennoshita’s life.  At first, he never knew how to read him.  Fukunaga was just the quirky guy that never said much, if anything, or their rival team.  He was good enough to be a starter, but so quiet that he went unnoticed until Ennoshita accidently bumped into him as they were cleaning up the gym.  Ennoshita is beyond thankful for the accident however, because now, it is the reason he’s happier than he’s ever been.

Fukunaga makes him feel excited, almost jittery in the best kind of way.  He makes him feel like he could do anything, from winning nationals to walking on water.  Fukunaga makes him feel strong and steady, and just a little bit less unsure of himself than he was before.

But on the other hand, Fukunaga made him feel calm.  His voice so soft, and his touch so gentle that Fukunaga could lull Ennoshita to sleep in an instant just by humming a tune and rubbing his hands through his hair.  Ennoshita didn’t really need to try with Fukunaga because their relationship came so easy after he figured out how to understand the way his boyfriend communicated. 

Ennoshita closed his eyes and buried his face in Fukunaga’s messy hair.  He was warm, relaxed, and comfortable with Fukunaga pressed against him, and really, if it wasn’t for the tickling fingers now trailing up the back of his shirt, Ennoshita probably could have dozed off just like this.

“You coming to see me was the best birthday present I could’ve asked for.”

Fukunaga peeled his face away from Ennoshita’s chest long enough to raise an eyebrow. He started to push away, ready to get off the bed and find his bag before Ennoshita grabbed him by the waist and pulled him back.

“If you got me something else, I don’t want it right now.” Ennoshita pulled Fukunaga in for a kiss, not minding his lips being chapped from the cold.  After a long minute of smiling against each other’s lips, Ennoshita pulled away. “This is all I wanted for my birthday, Shouhei.”

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY ALL TIME FAVORITE HQ CHARACTER ENNOSHITA CHIKARA.
> 
> If this is the only fic write on my break, I'll be beyond happy because really, this is the most important thing o me. I got this idea from my Auntie, who has her birthday the day before Christmas, and always feels a little down because it just gets lost in the holidays.
> 
> But of course, Fukunaga would never EVER let Ennoshita feel like that. I hope you enjoyed this my friends, because I'm still trucking along in this ship and I'm still so in love.


End file.
